


Mud on the Tires

by astradanvers



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Carter is his mother's son, Cat knows more than she lets on, Down and Dirty, F/F, F/M, SuperCat Slam, bio-engineered martian, general danvers, grease monkey!Cat, majorly judging you, mud bogging, october supercat slam, presidental analyst, supercat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:12:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8426917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astradanvers/pseuds/astradanvers
Summary: First, Kara finds out a secret of Cat’s. Then she gets invited to a day of fun with the Grants.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be my supercat slam for October but I ran out of time because I am absolutely horrible with deadlines. So anyway her goes the Down and Dirty fic :)

Kara sighs when her phone starts ringing, apparently it's going to be one of those nights where Supergirl is needed at every turn around. Reaching up she taps her ear, “Hello.”

“Keira,” Cat’s voice echoes in her ear and Kara’s surprised, Carter’s off with his father for the weekend though so she should have expected Cat to be at the office. “I need you to pick something up for me and then bring it to the beach house. I've apparently misjudged people again and let an imbecilic moron into my employ.”

“Of course, Ms. Grant,” Kara says, changing course to head for CatCo. “What do you need?”

“On the corner Prescot and Dawson, there's a little shop, small but decent, they have a package for me. Go in and tell them you're my assistant, they know what to do.”

Curious as to why this sounds more like a drug deal that something Cat would normally have her do Kara nods, “I'm on it, Ms. Grant. I'll be arriving by my special mode of transportation.”

She can almost hear the smile in Cat’s voice, “Of course you will. Chop chop, Keira,” she says, “I'm waiting.”

When she lands on the corner of Prescot and Dawson, Kara is surprised to find that the only small but decent shop by Cat Grant standards is an automotive parts store. Curious she tugs at the door but it doesn't budge, tapping lightly on the glass with her knuckle she’s surprised when a young man, a few years older than she is rushes forward. “Can I help you?” he asks through the door.

“I'm Kara,” she says, “Kara Danvers. Cat Grant sent me.”

The man smiles and nods, unlocking the door and throwing it open, “Of course, Miss Danvers, please come in. I'm just finishing up collecting Ms. Grant’s things.” He disappears into the stacks of parts behind the counter and Kara hears the distinct rustle of boxes moving about. Five or so minutes later he steps out of the stacks, “Ms. Grant asked me to put it in this backpack.” Kara smiles, Cat thought of how she'd carry it while flying. “Will there be anything else?”

Kara shakes her head, “No, sir, thank you so much for you help.” Peeking into the backpack as she makes her way around a corner Kara is surprised to find it's actually full of car parts. Shaking her head she speeds her way into her supersuit, backpack hidden away under her cape. As she pushes off from the ground she wonders just who is going to be working on a car tomorrow. She flies towards Cat’s beach house, absently doing twists and turns through the air, perfectly content in her own little headspace.

“Keira, you're going to hit the house,” she hears from below her and glances down to see Cat Grant standing on her bedroom balcony, arms crossed over her chest. Glancing just in front of her Kara finds she is only a foot or so from the side of the beach house, the very glass side of the beach house that probably would have shattered at the speed Kara was going. “Get down here,” the older woman demands.

Kara drops easily from the sky, slowing her speed just enough to not leave a crater on Cat’s balcony, “Sorry, Ms. Grant, I was somewhere else.”

“Clearly, and what have I told you about the whole Ms. Grant situation when not in the office or alone.”

Smiling a little Kara tucks her bottom lip between her teeth to hide it, “That it makes you feel like your mother.”

Cat nods, “Did you get what I asked for?”

Shrugging the backpack out from under her cape Kara holds it out, “Here you go,” she says with a smile. For a long moment silence falls between them, “I should let you get to sleep,” she says quietly.

“And just where do you think you are going?”

“Umm, home,” Kara mutters, scrubing at the back of her neck, “to, ya know, sleep.”

The older woman shakes her head, “You aren’t flying home at this time of night,” she says firmly, “even super hero aliens need proper sleep. You can sleep in the guest room.”

Kara shakes her head, “No, C-cat, I couldn’t impose like that.”

“Nonsense,” Cat says, starting into her room from the balcony. “You’re not going home at two in the morning, flying or no. You’ll sleep in the guest room, then you can leave in the morning.”

Following behind Cat, knowing that there’s no use in arguing Kara finds herself in a beautiful pale green room, the ivory trim highlighting the room and the dark wood king size bed taking up most of one wall. “Cat, you really don’t have to -”

“Kara,” Cat says sharply and the younger woman falls quiet. “There are fresh towels in the bathroom and I laid out some clothes for you on the bed. I believe they’ll fit you well enough.”

Smiling slightly at the other woman Kara nods, “Thank you, Cat,” she says quietly.

“Nothing to thank me for,” Cat murmurs, heading out of the guest room and back towards her own room.

* * *

The next morning Kara wakes up, the feel of thousand thread count Egyptian cotton sheets against her skin making her stretch and lavish in the touch of them. She glances to the window, surprised to find the sun already high in the sky. She stretches once more and finally sits up, the sheets falling down to expose the tank top Cat had left out for her. Crawling from the bed she moves over to the dresser, gathering the other clothes Cat left for her into her arms, slipping into the bathroom attached to the room and taking a quick shower before dressing and heading out of the room.

Considering using her superhearing to find Cat, she feels a little like she’d be invading the older woman’s privacy even more than by just being in the house. Slowly she starts her way down the hall, making her way down the stairs and into the lower hallway. The hardwood floor feels cool against her feet, her boots left upstairs with her supersuit and her clothes from the day before. She starts down the hall, stopping in the doorway to the kitchen, the smell of coffee drawing her into the room. There’s a note on the counter, Cat’s curling script covering the small paper.

_Have some coffee and then come outside. I’ll be out by the garage._

Kara’s seen the garage of course but only from the sky or Cat’s bedroom balcony where the two of them have had nearly as many discussions as the balcony at CatCo. Reaching for the mug by the coffee pot she makes herself a cup of coffee and then grabs the other, making a second cup for Cat, sure that by this time of the morning the older woman will be looking for her next cup. Heading out to the back patio, the one just off the kitchen, and Kara tries not to think about all the flybys she’s done to know where it is, Kara balances both mugs in one hand, the heat from them of little consequence to her. Outside she smiles, hearing a radio playing and Cat singing low enough that without her higher hearing range she wouldn’t be able to hear it.

Shaking her head because Cat Grant singing is one of her all time favorite things, having heard the older woman do so late at night in the confines of her fish bowl office. Making her way towards the garage she rounds the corner of the building and stops dead in her tracks. Because sitting just outside the garage door is an exact replica of the car Bumblebee from the _Transformers_ movies but that’s not what has her the most shocked. No the sight of Cat Grant, wearing coveralls that hug her form as she leans under the hood, is what causes her to pause. Especially since the woman's, tennis shoe clad feet don't touch the ground as she stretches to reach something towards the back, the coveralls pulled even tighter over her backside. Kara tilts her head slightly, telling herself she’s trying to figure what Cat is doing and definitely NOT checking out her very female boss.

“I can feel you watching me,” Cat says, voice carrying from under the hood where Kara can see now that the woman is cleaning the parts and pieces of the engine.

Stepping forward Kara stops a little away from the car, “I made you some coffee.” She holds out the mug of still scalding coffee and smiles when Cat hums from under the hood of the car. After a few long moments the woman leans up from the hood and Kara swears she stops breathing for a moment because Cat’s upper body is covered only by a thin white tank top while the arms of the coveralls are tied around her waist, resting just over her hips.

As Cat reaches out, taking the mug from Kara’s hand Cat smiles at the younger woman, “How do you always know when I need coffee?”

Kara smiles, takes a sip of her own coffee, “Because I’ve had a lot of time to learn,” she says quietly.

Before Cat can say anymore the younger woman’s phone, which she’d slipped into her back pocket before coming downstairs begins ringing, Cat smiles at her slightly, “Looks like duty calls, Supergirl,” she says quietly. She’s just returning to the car, settling back under the hood when Kara hears her distinctly murmur, “Be careful out there.”

Without a word Kara superspeeds her way back into Cat’s house and up the stairs, slipping into the guest room and into her supersuit while pressing the button on the bluetooth in her ear, “Yeah, Alex?”

“Where are you, Kar? We were supposed to have breakfast this morning.”

Kara sighs, she’d forgotten after Cat’s demand for her the stay the night before and then waking this morning so late. Not to mention the sight of Cat Grant working under the hood of a car in coveralls and a tank top. “Sorry, Alex, I’ll be there in five. I had a thing last night and it lasted until this morning.”

“Oh,” Alex says, “was this a guy thing?”

“No, sis, this was a Cat thing.”

“So she’s Cat now?” Alex teases as Kara takes flight out of the guest room window. “The two of you are getting awfully chummy lately.”

Smiling Kara shrugs, “She knows I’m Supergirl now, it's easy to talk to her about a lot of things.” She flies into her apartment window, “I’m at my apartment, will be there soon.”

“Alright, be careful,” Alex says quietly.

Making her way towards her closet, Kara can’t help the smile that tugs at the corners of her lips, the image of Cat imprinted permanently in her mind.

* * *

 

Kara shows up to work on Monday morning with the thoughts of Cat, leaning over a car, coveralls pulled tight over her backside being the most prevalent thing in her dreams all weekend. She wonders if Cat will mention what she'd seen over the weekend but Kara highly doubts it.

For that reason alone she's surprised when Cat motions for her to follow the woman into her office, latte taken from Kara’s hand with the barest hint of a smile. Turning to face Kara after taking a sip of her coffee and humming at the perfect temperature Cat tilts her head to one side. “What you saw this weekend, Keira,” she says carefully, “I expect it to never be mentioned in this building again.”

Kara nods, “Of course, Ms. Grant, you know I'd never betray your trust.”

Cat smiles at the younger woman, “I know you wouldn't. It's simply that I have both an image to maintain and that little hobby seems to be the one thing I am able to keep to myself. I'd like to keep it that way.”

“I will do my best to make sure that doesn't change,” Kara says earnestly, knowing simply by the way Cat speaks about her work on cars that she feels about it just as Kara feels about painting.

Nodding one sharp, sure nod Cat gives Kara a look, switching seamlessly from friendly Cat to boss Cat, “Then back to work, Keira. Chop, chop.”

Kara can't help the smile that crawls across her lips as she heads out to her desk, already planning the way she’ll next get to see Cat under the hood of a car.

* * *

 

It's Friday again, Kara’s got to be ready in the morning for the mud bog at the DEO fields but she’s waiting for the phone call that’s sure to come. Right on schedule her phone starts blaring a very specific ringtone, “Keira, the files on the new layouts are missing from my bag. Any idea where they could be?”

Kara traces her finger over the images on the layout by her side on her couch, “No, Ms. Grant but I'd be happy to run to the office and see if they were left behind.”

Cat huffs, “See that you do,” she grouses, “I need those layouts tonight.”

Humming Kara stands, “I'll be there shortly.”

“Carter’s home.”

Shrugging Kara smirks, “That's okay, he's known longer than you have.”

Kara distinctly hears a loud screech of, “What?” as she ends the call. Scooping up the layouts and putting them safely in her messenger bag along with a change of clothes, in hopes that she’ll be invited to stay at least for a little while again and if not she already has an excuse for the clothes. At the last second she decides to leave Cat’s clothes at her place, it's not like she's been sleeping in the shirt or anything. She tucks it back under her pillow, nope not at all.

One quick patrol around the city and then she heads towards the beach, paying attention to where she's going this time in order to avoid almost flying into Cat’s house again. She spots a light on in the garage and drops down in front of it, landing silently. The bay door is open, light streaming from it and she makes her way towards it, peering inside. Carter is sitting on a metal counter against one wall, his feet dangling down while in the middle of the cavernous room sits a cloth top Jeep Wrangler, not one of the newer models either. Kara smiles, shoulder dropping against the door at the sight of Cat, feet planted on the bumper a few feet from the ground and head stuck under the hood.

“Hey, Carter,” Cat’s voice sounds from under the hood though the woman doesn't look up, “hand me a nine sixteenth, all I should have to do is remove these bolts and I can change the bracket.”

Carter slides down off the counter and moves to one of the big red, stand up tool boxes that Kara is positive she's only ever seen in movies and the few times she and Alex have gone to a home improvement store. He pulls open a drawer and then runs his fingers over the tools inside before pulling one out. “Here, Mom,” he says, placing in his mother’s hand as she reaches behind her. “Where’s the other set?”

“Couple of them had rusted out from too much sea air so I ordered a new set, they should be in on Monday.”

Carter shakes his head, “So we’re taking this tomorrow to the mud bog.” Kara tilts her head, why would Cat Grant be going to a mud bog, silently she files the question away for a later time.

“If I can get this alternator bracket changed out and get the oil changed before the morning, as well as finish the layouts for the next issue as soon as Keira finally arrives with them. She should be here by now.”

“She is,” Kara says, stifling a giggle when Cat pushes herself upright, her head cracking against the hood. “I’m sorry,” she says quickly, moving forward, “I’m sorry, Cat.”

The boy beside the car chuckles, “She does that a hundred times a weekend.”

“Carter,” Cat says with a chuckle, jumping down from the bumper of the jeep, “you don’t have to tell all my secrets.”

When she turns around Kara can’t hide the smile on her lips because Cat is wearing the same outfit as the week before, white tank top with coveralls tied at her waist. What really gets Kara though is the streak of oil across Cat’s cheek. Carter picks up a rag from the table behind him and throws it at his mom, hitting the woman in the face, “You got oil on your face, Mom.”

Reaching up Cat brushes at the smudge with the rag, Kara laughs when the spot only grows. She shakes her head, “Cat, Cat,” she says, “just stop. You’re making it worse.”

Laughing Cat shakes her head, “The two of you have no right to gang up on me.”

Carter has been moving closer and closer to Kara, the young woman reaches out and snags him, pulling him into an embrace. If it were anyone else all three people in the garage know he’d be uncomfortable and pushing to be released. With Kara he does just as he does with his mother and sinks into the embrace, tucking himself against Kara’s side, one arm wrapped around her waist beneath the cape she still has on.

He looks up at Kara, “Take me flying?”

Kara laughs, he’s been bugging to take him flying since the moment he realized she was Supergirl. She shakes her head, “If you can get your mom to agree I will take you on a short tour of National City.”

Cat laughs, “You can take him wherever you want,” she says, “if you’ll get him out of my hair for half an hour and let me finish changing the bracket and oil in this jeep.”

“Yes!” Carter cheers, jumping into the air.

Slipping her messenger bag over her shoulder, Kara sets it on the counter Carter was previously seated on, “Alright then,” she turns her back to the boy, “up you go then.”

Carter places his hands on her shoulders and jumps up, arms wrapping around her neck and legs around her waist, “This is going to be awesome,” he says.

Moving out from inside the garage Kara prepares to take off, “Do not drop my son!” Cat calls from behind them, already stepping back up onto the bumper of the jeep.

“Yes ma’am,” Kara says with a chuckle. “Up, up -”

“And away!” Carter says with a laugh as Kara propels the two of them into the air.

Kara smiles as the two of them fly, the weight of Carter on her back reminding her of when she and Alex would go flying as kids. Carter is laughing behind her as he tucks his face against her neck and cuddles in close. “This is amazing, Kara,” he says quietly and in what Kara is almost sure is a sleepy voice.

“I'm glad you like it, buddy,” she tells him but no answer comes after and she's sure that he's fallen asleep against her shoulder.

Circling around Kara flies them back towards the beach house, dropping lightly and without jarring her passenger to the ground. Cat looks up as Kara lands, grease stains on both cheeks now as well as across the front of her white tank, “Well I'm glad to see you didn't drop my son,” she says. “Carter -”

“Ssh,” Kara says softly, “he's asleep, I think the flight wore him out.”

Cat simply stares at the two people before her, the vague thought that Carter has never fallen asleep while in anyone’s arms but her own, even as a baby if someone else was holding him and he wasn't in his crib, he'd scream until he was back in Cat’s arms. She smiles slightly at the sight though. Her son’s face tucked against Kara’s shoulder, his arms still holding tightly to her neck.

“If you'll show me to his room,” Kara says quietly, “I'll take him to bed.”

Silently Cat nods, lifting Kara’s messenger bag as she passes and turning off the lights as she presses the automatic door close, the jeep already returned to its rightful place. Passing by Kara she leads the way into the house, making her way up the stairs once they're inside and up to the second floor, passing by the guest room Kara slept in the week before, the pajamas she'd worn still folded neatly on the pillow, or they are now that Cat has removed them from their hiding spot under her own pillow. She stops before the door to her son’s room, a large poster of Supergirl on the front of it. Behind her Kara chuckles as they step into the room. Moving over to the bed Kara lowers him gently after Cat has pulled the covers back. She moves back to the door, watching as Cat tucks him in and presses a kiss to his forehead.

“Mom,” he says, voice clouded with sleep, “can Kara go with us tomorrow to the mud bog?”

Cat glances over at Kara, looking back to Carter who hasn't even bothered to open his eyes, she smiles, “You'll have to ask her in the morning, she's staying in the guest room.”

The boy hums quietly, “M’kay.”

Once the two women have returned to the hallway, Kara looks down at her feet, “I don’t know if I can go tomorrow, I’m supposed to be attending a benefit for a friend.”

Smiling at the younger woman, Cat shakes her head, “We’ll talk about it after I shower,” Cat says looking at Kara, who glances up at her.

Kara nods, “Okay?” her voice laced with confusion.

Cat nods, “I'm going to grab a shower, you're welcome to the guest room you used last week. If you'll just put the layouts in my office.”

“Of course, Cat,” she looks down at her feet. “After I think I'll fly into the city and grab some food, the flying takes a bit out of me.”

Cat shakes her head, “Nonsense, there's lasagna from dinner in the kitchen.”

“I can’t take that, Cat, I'll literally eat it all.”

Smiling Cat motions to the kitchen, “I made an extra one,” she says motioning towards the kitchen, “go, eat,” she says simply and turns away from the younger woman.

Kara slips into the bedroom she'd used the week before to find the same pajamas on the pillow, she smiles and wonders if Cat has been sleeping with them like she's been sleeping with the clothes she took home. She shakes her head, whatever had been building between them is clearly not meant to go anywhere or they're both too scared for it to at least. Kara throws on the Capri jogging pants that become shorts on her and the tank top that shows the the slightest hint of her toned abs and makes her way towards Cat’s kitchen, familiar enough with the layout of the beach house after so many visits to bring the media mogul things.

Inside the kitchen she's surprised to find the lasagna Cat mentioned still warming in the oven and a plate with utensils on the breakfast bar. Tilting her head she's confused, Cat wouldn't have known she was coming while making dinner because the older woman always spent the time between making dinner and it cooking with Carter, helping with his homework or just talking, Kara knew this and had seen the sight on occasion when checking in on the Grants during her nightly patrols. She really thinks about the situation then, how after Cat had packed her bag to carry home Kara had found the contract she was supposed to look over for Monday resting on the far corner of the desk. On a whim Kara had slipped the layouts out of the bag, putting them in her own before sliding the contract, that she thought she'd already packed, into the satchel.

Kara hears Cat approaching as she helps herself to a second helping of the lasagna she's barely noticed she's been eating. Cat stops in the doorway and Kara looks up to find the older woman smiling, “I'm glad you're enjoying it.”

Blushing a deep crimson Kara covers her mouth with the hand holding her fork, swallowing before she says, “It's very good, one of the best I've ever had.”

“One of?”  Cat questions with a tilt of her head and a raised eyebrow.

“My foster mother, Eliza,” she picks at a few pieces of her lasagna, “she makes the best lasagna I've ever had.”

Smiling Cat slides onto a bar stool across from Kara’s, “My father’s was the best,” she says quietly. “That’s his recipe,” she nods to the casserole dish at Kara’s hand, “I’ve never been able to make it perfectly.”

“My mother,” Kara says, “made a dessert on Krypton, my favorite dessert, I've been able to find all of the ingredients, most of our foods are similar they're just grown differently.” She shakes her head, “But ingredients are not what make the best food,” she looks at Cat, “the love, time, and effort are what make the best foods.” She smiles, “For instance, your lasagna will be Carter’s favorite and he will never find another he likes as much.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Cat conseeds. Kara sees the subject change coming before it happens, Cat tilts her head then, “The mud bog Carter and I are attending tomorrow,” she says, “it's the same one you’re attending.” She shrugs, “I’ve known Susan and Olivia for years, just because that stubborn ass agent is too proud to ask for help doesn’t mean I won’t help where I can. When you mentioned you were going a few days ago I had already signed us up.”

Kara smiles, “They are both very stubborn women.” She sighs, “I'm just really glad Susan is doing better. She's got a long road ahead though.”

Smiling as she moves around behind Kara to grab a glass from the cabinet next to the sink, she squeezes the younger woman’s shoulder, “They’ll make it, Kara,” she says quietly, “and they’ll have their friends to support them.”

“Yeah, they will,” Kara says before falling quiet. She finishes off the last of the lasagna she hasn’t really paid attention to eating, too busy watching Cat, just listening to the other woman. Standing she moves to place the casserole dish in the sink along with her plate and fork.

“Just leave it,” Cat says quietly. “Maria will be here in the morning, she’ll take care of it.”

“I can -”

“Leave it,” Cat says again. “I want you to go over the layouts with me before we head to bed and we have to be up at five, if my son doesn’t have us up before.”

Kara smiles, “Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

 

Kara’s dreaming, she’s knows she is but she doesn’t want the dream to end either. She and Cat are curled up on that king size dark wood bed she’d seen in Cat’s room the week before, their bodies pressed close together. Before she can pull Cat closer in her dream, pretend at least for a few moments that it's real someone lands in her stomach. She grunts, air leaving her lungs as she cracks one eye open. Shaking her head, she reaches out and pulls Carter down into her arms, “Good morning, young mister Grant. How are you? And what time is it?”

“Four thirty,” he says and Kara can still hear the sleepiness in his voice. “Mom is going to willingly let me get covered in mud today,” he cheers, “she rarely ever does that. Like not since we used to build mudpies when I was in elementary school. She quit doing mud bogs for fun years ago.”

Smiling Kara can hear him drifting closer and closer to sleep, “Did you wake your mom up first?”

“Nah uh,” he says with a shake of his head.

“Okay,” she says soothingly, “well the mud bog doesn’t start until ten so we don’t even need to think about leaving until seven and that’s to get there really early. So why don’t you get a little more sleep so you don’t crash on us.”

Yawning he nods against Kara’s shoulder, curls closer to her, “Love you, Kara,” he murmurs quietly.

The sentiment shocks Kara as she’s never heard him tell anyone but Cat that he loves them, not even his father. “Love you too, buddy,” she says quietly, pressing her lips to his temple.

Slowly, listening to the quiet of Carter’s breathing and the steady, even beat of his heart Kara slips into sleep soon after. The next time Kara wakes, the reason is much quieter and less jarring. It comes in the form of a soft, “Oh,” and then the quiet shutter of a cellphone camera. She can tell by the pull at her very cells towards the sun that it’s time for she and Carter to be up and moving but she feels like she belongs here. She remembers the first time she felt this way on Earth, it was the day of the popcorn machine incident. It’s hard to think that the first thing that utterly terrified her on Earth is also what brought her and Alex so close together.

“I know you’re awake,” Cat says quietly. “You’re holding your breath.”

Kara smiles then, she hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until the moment the words left Cat’s lips. Cracking one eye open she glances to Cat, “He pounced me at four thirty, I convinced him to go back to sleep without waking you.”

The older woman smiles, “I thank you greatly for that,” she says, moving to the side of the bed Carter is sleeping on. “Come on, sweetheart,” she murmurs quietly, brushing his curls away from his eyes, “up you get. Time to get ready for the mud bog.”

Those are all the words needed to propel Carter up and out of the bed, “Morning, Mom, Kara,” he says, hugging his mom hurriedly and then scrambling his way out of the room.

Cat studies Kara, head tilted to the side, “You didn’t have to let him sleep -”

“I didn’t mind,” Kara says before Cat can finish. “He woke me up first and when he told me it was only four thirty I thought it would be better if we all got a little more sleep.”

The older woman moves closer to the bed, where Kara has sat up on the side. Looking down at Kara, Cat brushes a strand of hair away from her eyes gently, “I thank you for that,” she says again then quickly withdraws her hand, “Well, chop, chop, Keira, we have to get moving soon.”

“Of course,” Kara says, watching with a slightly disappointed expression as Cat makes her way out of the room. As the door falls closed behind Cat, Kara drops back onto the bed, “Pull it together, Danvers,” she murmurs to herself, “she’s never gonna see you the same way.”

Once Kara has dressed and made her way downstairs she’s surprised to find Cat at the stove, cooking, “There’s juice and milk in the fridge, or if you’d rather, a selection coffees for the keurig in the cabinet.” Smiling Kara skips towards the cabinet, “I think there’s hot chocolate in there too. I thought since we’ll be leaving after breakfast I’d skip making a whole pot.”

Shifting through the k-cups Kara soon comes up with her favorite pumpkin spice coffee flavor, shifting her eyes to the back of Cat’s head but not saying a word about why the flavor of coffee resides in the older woman’s cabinet. She glances at the clock on the microwave as she sets up the keurig to make her coffee, “So I may have promised my sister I’d help set up a few of the things today. I can always fly ahead if the two of you want to wait and leave a little later.”

Cat glances over at Kara, “Carter and I are on the set up crew too,” she says with a smirk, “J’onn recruited us.”

“Wait you - how - what?”

Smirking Cat saunters toward Kara, hand running easily over the younger woman’s shoulders, “Can't have you knowing all my secrets, Supergirl,” she says quietly as she plucks a plate from the cabinet by Kara’s head and moves away again.

As she moves away Kara’s eyes travel down the other woman’s back, over the ribbed tank top, this one black and still probably worth more than half Kara’s paycheck, and down to the blue jeans that hug Cat’s hips. She tracks Cat’s movements with her eyes, bites her lips when the older woman turns slightly to face the stove and Kara finds that there's a rip in the knee of one pants leg and what looks like a rip in the thigh of the other but she can't be sure from this angle. Her tombstone tomorrow will read: _Here lies Supergirl, dead by Cat Grant in sinful jeans._ She shakes her head at the sound of thunderous steps on the stairs.

“Are we taking the doors off?” Carter questions as he skips a formal good morning.

Cat shakes her head at her son but answers the question anyway, “I took the doors off last night after I changed the bracket and the oil. Top is gone too.”

“Yes,” Carter hisses and Kara chuckles at him.

“Alright, mud monster,” Cat says, laughing at her son, “sit, we all need to eat before we head out. J’onn wants us there early to help set up.”

Carter chuckles as he scoops his plate up, “Now there’s a nickname I haven’t heard in awhile.”

“It fits,” his mother says simply and with a smile.

As the three of them settle at the table Kara tries not to let herself think about how they could have breakfast together every morning if she'd ever get brave enough to kiss Cat. She knows nothing can ever come of her feelings though. Instead she sits back and allows herself to enjoy the moment she has with the two Grants.

* * *

 

The jeep rumbles towards the lot where all the competitors are parked and Kara smiles at the sight. “Do you know all of these people, Kara?” Carter asks excitedly from where's he's popped his head through the opening between the front seats.

Kara shakes her head, “Not all of them, a fair few of them are agents but some are civilians like you and your mom. In that jeep over there though,” she points to one a few vehicles down from theirs, “Lucy and my mom are gonna be driving it.”

“How can you tell?”

“The giant L&A decal on the back window, my mother has become fascinated with decals since she learned about them. That one she accidentally lasered into the glass because of a misunderstanding,” she shrugs, “J’onn wrote it off as theirs.”

Cat glances at her, “She lasered it into the glass?”

The younger woman snorts and nods, “Yeah it's bulletproof.”

“Ah.”

Carter is grinning like crazy from the backseat, “That is so awesome!” Kara chuckles at his enthusiasm, “Who else?”

“The ATV at the head of the line is my sister's she and my aunt are going to be riding it.”

“Your sister and your aunt?”

Laughing at Cat’s raised eyebrow Kara questions, “My sister and aunt you question but not Lucy and my mother?”

Cat shrugs, something Kara has never seen her do before, “You aren't related to Lane.”

“My cousin is married to her sister.”

Whirling around Cat’s eyebrow rises, then tilts his head, “No wonder it's so fun to watch him leave,” she murmurs, smirking at Kara’s glare. She pushes her door open, turning to slide from the jeep, “Fun to watch you leave to, Supergirl,” she says low enough only Kara will hear. “I'm going to see if I can find J’onn,” she says, slipping from the vehicle and sauntering away.

Carter groans from the back seat, “Will you please just kiss her already?” he grumbles, “I'm so tired of watching the two of you flirt.”

“What are -”

“No,” the boy says with a shake of his head, “no, you and Mom are made for each other, Kara, you love each other, just because you're scared doesn't mean that you get to run from this.”

Sighing loudly Kara looks over to him, “You are by far your mother’s son.”

He shrugs, “She raised me to be observant.”

“You’d really be okay with me dating your mom?”

He tilts his head, “Kara, I would love it if you dated Mom,” he turns sheepish, “you make her happy.” Before Kara can respond a large red truck rumbles up at their side, “Oh my god,” he breathes quietly. “That’s a 2016 Chevy Silverado with a spring suspension kit.”

Kara grins at the boy, “It is.” Opening her door, she steps out onto the latter steps to get down from the lifted jeep, making her way down much more gracefully than usual. Once on the ground she reaches up, catching Carter when he jumps over the back. Then she opens the door to the silverado, “I can’t believe he let you drive Mars.”

“I can’t believe you convinced him to name his truck,” the woman who jumps down from the truck, Kara catching her with ease, says. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she says while pressing a kiss to Kara’s cheek. She smiles at Carter who has been watching quietly, “And who’s this?”

“Eliza, I’d like you to meet Carter Grant. Carter, this is my foster mom, Eliza Danvers.”

“This is yours?” Carter asks, beginning to circle the truck.

Eliza grins slightly, “My husband’s.”

“Mom’s going to flip, she loves silvers, first vehicle she ever had was a silver, my grandpa’s.” He runs his finger over the side of the truck carefully, “They were known as C/Ks then. Mom’s been thinking about buying a new one. She’s still got grandpa’s at home, she babies that truck as much as Bumblebee.”

“She calls her remake Bumblebee too?”

“Not a remake,” Cat says from behind them, watching Carter take inventory of the silverado, “that’s the car that was actually used in the movies, I bought it post production.”

Staring at Cat with wide eyes, Kara fights the urge to squeal, “Let it out, Supergirl,” Eliza says quietly before a high pitched squeal rips through the air. “That was one of her favorite movies when she landed,” Eliza tells the Grants when they give them a curious look. “That and Lilo & Stitch. I think we switched between those movies for about two years every movie night.”

Before more can be said J’onn appears behind Cat, “We should get started,” he says, “we’ve got nearly a hundred competitors between agents and civilians. So this is going to take a while.”

“I’m guessing the ATVs are running their own cate?” Cat asks, looking up at J’onn over her shoulder.

He nods, “All except the two knuckle heads,” he mutters.

“I heard that,” Alex says as she jumps up on Kara’s back, her sister easily catching her, “I thought you were riding with us this morning,” she says, pressing a kiss to Kara’s cheek over her shoulder.

Kara glances to Cat with a small smile, “I stayed at Cat’s last night because I had to drop something off rather late and when I found out they were coming to the same mud bog I just rode with them,” she shrugs, Alex sliding down from her back, “I may have forgotten I was supposed to ride with you and Aunt Astra.” Alex only hums in response.

Lucy and Alura appear just then, “So are you actually driving in this Cat?” Lucy asks without preamble.

“No, Baby Lane, I brought the jeep for looks,” Cat rolls her eyes, “of course I’m driving, Kara and Carter are riding with.”

“Well there went my hopes of winning,” Lucy says with a sigh, snagging Alura around the waist and pulling the Kryptonian into her arms, “I guess mud and dirt will just have to mean fun for the evening,” she says, pressing a kiss to Alura’s shoulder.

“Okay, children present,” Alex says, covering both Carter’s and Kara’s eyes, “you two should get a room.”

“But we have a room, Alexandra,” Alura says, clearly confused, “a whole apartment of them actually.”

“Okay,” Kara says, “Carter and I are going to find Olivia and Susan to say hi.” She glances at the boy, “Piggyback ride?” he nods and she turns allowing him to jump on her back before the two of them head away from their family. “We’ll find our way back before the trucks and jeeps get started.”

* * *

 

Alex and Astra are the first pair to go through the pit from their family, they come out on the other side covered in mud. They do however make it all the way through and with the best time of any of those competing so far. Alex sends a smirk J’onn’s way as she and Astra climb off of the ATV, “Beat that, Space Dad,” she says with a laugh.

“Brat,” J’onn mutters as he and Eliza prepare to start their trek across the pit.

Kara’s unsurprised, though she isn’t quite sure why that her entire family has been relegated to the end of the line as far as competing order goes. All of the others, both agents and civilians, including Lena Luthor and Maggie Sawyer, a couple Kara had definitely not seen coming, have competed and had their times documented.

Halfway across the mud pit, Mars gets stuck, the tires throwing out mud behind it with a vengeance while Eliza laughs in the passenger seat, window down and Kara’s positive mud flying in. After several minutes, J’onn slams Mars into reverse, backing up nearly a foot before he slams the truck back into drive and rockets over the patch they’d been stuck in and over the last leg of the mud pit. Still the hold up has caused them to lose precious time and they miss Alex and Astra’s time by five seconds, landing them firmly in second place. Alex does a happy dance at the end of the line while J’onn drops his head to the steering wheel and Kara hears a mutter of, “Damned bet,” and Eliza chuckles at both her husband and daughter.

Alura and Lucy are running second to last, their jeep an older model and not nearly as modified as Cat’s. Not five seconds in Lucy and Alura’s jeep gets stuck, tossing mud behind them, wheels spinning. With quick moves Lucy frees them and they speed across the pit once more. Halfway across the pit, nearly the exact spot where Mars got stuck, Lucy and Alura’s jeep sticks too but it takes them even longer to get loose than it had for J’onn to free Mars. There’s still a quarter of the pit left when the jeep gets stuck for the third time. When Lucy finally gets them unstuck and they finish crossing the pit it’s landed them in a solid third place slot.

“And now,” Olivia’s voice chimes over the speaker system, Kara tuning into the introductions for the first time, “we’ve got Cat Grant, Carter Grant and Kara Danvers.”

Carter plops down into the back seat while Kara slides into the passenger seat, Cat in her position behind the wheel. “Let’s do this, Mom,” Carter says with a laugh.

The two Grants high five, “Kara, you might wanna hold on,” Cat says with a laugh before she revs the engine and tosses them into movement.

The bumping and splattering of mud is all that follows for long moments and Kara knows they’re making the trek faster and more accurately than any of the others before them. She laughs out loud when a splatter of mud smacks Carter in the face as one of the tires spins for a moment before grabbing tractions again and continuing on. They’re almost to the end of the pit when Kara hears the soft snick indicating that Carter’s seat belt has come undone. She glances back to check on him.

She launches herself out of the back of the jeep, as it bounces over the last bump, unseating Carter from his spot in the back seat and tossing him up and out of the jeep. When Kara lands in the mud, Carter in her arms the both of them are laughing until Carter wiggles just so and drops from her arms into the mud as well, Cat’s jeep throwing mud at them as the tires spin that last little bit. As the jeep stops moving Cat jumps down from the driver’s seat just as Olivia’s voice rings out over the field.

“And our winner for the mud bog is Cat Grant, her son, Carter, and Kara Danvers!”

The crowd goes wild with applause even as Alex and Astra rush through the mud, Alex throwing herself into Kara’s arms and knocking her into the mud, “Loser!” Kara shouts, “I was mostly clean.”

“NOT ANYMORE!” Lucy yells as she and Alura race towards where the rest of their family is. Carter has pounced his mother, knocking her into the mud beside Kara, and laughing when she sputters around a mouth full of mud.

“First these knuckle heads,” J’onn says, jabbing a finger at Alex and Astra who are tossing mud balls back and forth at one another, “beat me with an ATV and then this asshole,” he says, jabbing a thumb at Cat, “has to go and beat me with that jeep she rigged up years ago.”

His speech has barely finished when the splatter of mud colliding with his face makes all of the people surrounding him freeze in their movements and stare at him, “That’s Executive Asshole to you, Martian Man,” Cat says with an amused glare and a barely concealed smile.

“Oh it’s on,” he mutters, scooping up his own handful of mud and chucking it at the media mogul, laughing heartily when it splatters across her chest and up her neck, “bring it, asshole.”

Everyone gets into the battle then, mud flying past heads and colliding with the wrong person or the right one. One or more of the Kryptonians spinning at super speed to fling mud in all directions, pelting all of those around them with a new coat of mud. Until eventually everyone stops, too overcome with laughter to keep up the battle. Turning to look at the person beside her Kara is surprised to find Cat laying beside her in the mud, the brown muck clinging to her soft blonde curls, dripping off of the ends. Reaching out gently she brushes a large glob of mud away from Cat’s face, tracing her cheek. Cat looks at Kara and before Kara fully comprehends what she’s doing she rolls onto her side and leans over, pressing her lips to Cat’s. The kiss lasts for several minutes before their lips slide away from one another due to the slippery mud.

Kara rests her forehead against Cat’s, “I want a repeat of that kiss later,” Cat tells her with a chuckle, “preferably when we aren’t both covered in muck.”

Smiling Kara nods, “I can handle that.”


End file.
